The rise and rise of Kanye West’s influence on fashion https://t.co/CpXoWxMUQZ

’s Pithers thinks West’s influence reflects a new direction in commercial design. “When you look at how well he knows how to design, market and sell clothing, at a time when fashion and retail is struggling to connect with young people, he comes off as a very successful definition of a fashion designer,” she said. Boima Tucker, an American-Sierra Leonean DJ and producer who knew Abloh’s work long before Off-White, thinks Kanye West’s rise to fame was achieved through old-fashioned “hard graft”. To him, West as a fashion phenomenon is fuelled by social media “[blurring] the line between underground and commercial … Of course you’re gonna buy the Kanye shoe and support his team if you like his album, because you’ve bought into his lifestyle.”